Five health tests you can do at home

November 27, 2018

Being able to complete health tests at home means you don’t have to go through the anxiety, embarrassment and long waiting times of attending a face-to-face appointment. You can perform the test at home in comfort and privacy. Read on to find out which five health tests can be done at home.

A blood pressure test kit can be bought from many pharmacies and can give instant readings. It works just like the ones at the doctors with the strap around your arm. High blood pressure can often leave no symptoms, but it can be dangerous. Follow the instructions carefully and sit quietly and calmly while performing the test. Certain acts can affect the reading, such as talking, movement and cold temperatures.
Cholesterol

You can test your cholesterol at home using a kit. Cholesterol is a fatty substance, and too much “bad” cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and disease. The test is a finger prick test that analyses a droplet of blood. The kit can be bought from many stores, and results take a couple of minutes.

STIs can often be tested for at home, including chlamydia and gonorrhea. When looking for chlamydia testing kits Bexley is a place where you can easily find them; for example, you can get them from www.bexleysexualhealth.org/home_sti_kits. You can also find the kits in all other UK cities and from certain stores online. Simply take a swab or urine sample and send it away to be analysed at a lab. You will get the results in a few days.
DNA Tests

DNA tests are popular because they can help you learn about your family history and show if you might be at increased risk of certain diseases. You simply spit into a tube and send the sample off for testing at a lab, which checks for gene variants. It tests for diseases such as diabetes and Crohn’s and looks at your metabolism, which can help you make informed decisions about exercise and diet.
Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is associated with diabetes. You can measure your blood sugar levels at home using a kit with a glucometer. This tests a droplet of blood from your finger or forearm, and the results are displayed seconds later on the small digital screen.